1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to coated parts, and in particular to coated parts that are coated with protective coating and used outdoors in bicycle components and fishing equipment.
2. Description of Related Art
Paint films are often formed from painting materials onto parts that are frequently used outdoors in bicycles and fishing equipment, especially onto parts made of metallic materials. Thus forming films onto the body of metal parts keeps them from being exposed to corrosive atmospheres and improves their anti-corrosiveness. Also, forming paint films with various colored painting materials enhances design characteristics.
Wherein the paint films are formed using ordinary painting materials such as acrylic or urethane resin paints, the paint film hardness will be low compared to the metals. Therefore, sliding motion between like parts, or parts being dropped can damage the paint film superficially on the parts and expose the material surfaces. Foreign substances such as water get in through those portions of the paint film that are injured, which makes the paint film tend to peel away. Furthermore, if the paint film is impaired, the appearance can no longer be maintained. Moreover, with metals that corrode easily, such as magnesium alloy, if the film is damaged the metals tend to corrode.
To make surfaces difficult to mar, instead of paint films it has been the practice to form onto materials hard metallic thin films that are highly anti-corrosive by such methods as plating, ionic implantation, or vapor deposition. The surfaces of parts on which hard metallic thin films are formed are not easily injured. Nevertheless, the metal materials at times corrode when brought into direct contact with like metals and, due to differences in ionization tendency, an internal battery is set up. This makes complex procedures necessary such as interposing an insulating layer between the part surfaces and the hard metallic layer, which raises manufacturing costs.
An object of the present invention is inexpensively to provide coated parts that are not easily marred.
Another object of the present invention is inexpensively to provide coated parts that are not easily corroded.
The coated part according to the invention is a first aspect including a part body superficially onto which a paint film layer is coated. Applying a highly restorative paint material to at least part of the surface of the part body forms the paint film layer.
In the paint film layer formed by superficially applying a highly restorative paint material to the body of the coated part, if the coated part is scratched, the scratched portion mends and the paint film on the surface is reformed. Therefore, if a scratch forms on the surface the scratch does not remain, and as a result the coated part is not easily marred. Moreover, forming the layer by applying a paint material facilitates low cost production.
It should be noted that herein xe2x80x9chighly restorative paint materialxe2x80x9d are paint materials such as self-mending paints formed from the special acrylic resin paints manufactured by Natoko Paint Co. Ltd., for example, which usually are offered in the form of a transparent, clear paint. Herein, xe2x80x9cself-mending functionxe2x80x9d is a function wherein abrasions of a certain extent or dents caused by pressure exist temporarily as injuries compared with the rest of the surface, but due to the elasticity of the paint film are restored after awhile, which makes the injuries disappear.
The functional-group side chains (chains between the cross-linking points and the acrylic main chains) in the self-mending paints are long compared to general acrylic resin paints. The significance of this is that not only the side chains, but also the cross-linking portions between the acrylic main chains in self-mending paints constitute a structure in which the degree of kinetic freedom is very high. Consequently, the long side chains work as springs against external pressure, realizing the self-mending function by elasticity. Also, compared to general paint films, the lubricity of the paint film surface of self-mending paints is highxe2x80x94the coefficients of friction of the surface are low. Therefore, something hard striking the paint film will tend to slip, and force due to external pressure is widely dispersed in directions parallel to the paint film, attenuating force in the perpendicular direction. Accordingly, even the paint film itself cannot easily be damaged.
The coated part in a second aspect is in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, but wherein at least a portion of the part body is exteriorly exposed. Herein, if the coating layer formed on the exteriorly exposed portion that frequently makes contact external parts is scratched, the scratched portion is restored and the scratch tends to disappear. As a result, the exposed portion tends not to be scratched.
In a third aspect the coated part is as set forth in the foregoing aspects, but further wherein the part body includes a sliding portion for sliding against another part. Herein, if the coating layer on the surface is damaged when the sliding portion slides against the other part, its sliding state tends not to fluctuate since the coating layer reforms. For this reason, if the coating layer is formed on, for example, sliding portions making up male-female engagement parts that slide in components equipment, their engagement state will not tend to tighten nor loosen.
In a fourth aspect of the present invention the coated part is as set forth in the foregoing aspects, but further wherein the coating layer is translucent, and a substrate paint film layer, formed by applying a colored paint, is present between the part body and the coating layer. Herein, since the coating layer is translucent, designs or letters on the substrate paint film layer formed by applying a colored paint may be seen through the coating layer. Protecting the substrate paint film layer with a coating layer that is not easily marred also maintains the appearance of the substrate paint film layer.
In a fifth aspect the coated part is as set forth in the foregoing aspects, but further wherein the part body is used for fishing equipment. In this case, the coating layer on fishing equipment often used outdoors in a corrosive atmosphere is unlikely to be damaged, maintaining the appearance of the fishing equipment. This also keeps the part body from being exposed directly to corrosive atmospheres, and hence the part body is unlikely to become corroded.
The coated part of the invention in a sixth aspect is as set forth in the foregoing aspects, but further wherein the part body is used in bicycles. Herein, the coating layer on bicycle parts that are frequently used outdoors is not likely to become damaged, which helps to maintain the appearance of the bicycles. This also keeps the parts from being exposed directly to the open air, and hence, the parts are unlikely to become corroded.
In a seventh aspect the coated part is as set forth in the foregoing aspects, but further wherein the part body is made of metal. In this case, if a coated part having a metallic part body is used in a corrosive atmosphere, it is not likely to corrode since the part body is covered by a coating layer that is not easily damaged.
The coated part of the invention in an eighth aspect is in accordance with the seventh aspect, but further wherein the part body is made of an aluminum alloy or a magnesium alloy, and an anodic oxidized film layer is present between the body of the part and the coating layer. Herein, since the part body made of an aluminum or magnesium alloy, which tend to corrode, is covered by the coating layer via the anodic oxidized film layer, the adherence of the coating layer as well as the anti-corrosion properties of the part are increased.
In a ninth aspect the coated part is as set forth in the foregoing aspects, but further wherein the part body is made of a synthetic resin. In this case, since the part body is made of a synthetic resin, which is not as hard as metal and thus fragile, is covered by the coating layer formed by a self-mending paint material, the synthetic resin body of the part is not likely to be damaged.
The coated part of the invention in a tenth aspect is in accordance with the ninth aspect, but further wherein the body of the part is a fiber-reinforced synthetic resin laminate article wherein a synthetic resin base material is impregnated into a high-strength fiber backing. Herein, even in fiber-reinforced synthetic resin laminate articles in which water tends to cause peeling, because the coating layer is not likely to become damaged and hence water is not likely to get into the body of the part, peeling is unlikely.
From the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art.